Vapor electric apparatus.



0. 0. KRUH. VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1904.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

uh u m V VO HE E 0 s .m s O 9 by M. fHS'lS y.

i To all whom z'tmay concewu:

STATES PATENT -OFl'dllfl l j.

. :osms o. xiturr, or

' Y vuon ELECTRIC arram'rus.

specification of-Letters Patent.

'scnnune'rsnx, NEW vonx, AssmNon-ro. ennnnhnnnnornre Y comm, A CORPORATION or NEW vonx.

" Patntednen. 3,1914.

, Application med February 20, 1 04. Serial no. 194,520.

Be it known that I, Osms O'rro KRUH, a

. subject of the Emperor of Austria Hungary,

residing at. Schenectady,- in the county of Schenectady and State of New York,--haVe invented certain new and-usefullmprovements in Vapor Electric Apparatus,- ofwhich the. following is a specification.

- My inventionrelates to vapor electric apparatus and more especially-to the use of such apparatus for rectifying alternat ng current. Among the objects of my invention is the production .ofan organization Which-is not subject to arcing between the anodes. 7

The novel features characteristic of my invention .are setforth with particularity in the appended claims. a

As an illustrationof mvinvention I have set forth in detail in the ollowingspecification certain embodiments of my invention and have represented them pictorially in the accompanying drawings, in,which' Figure 1 represents a rectifier embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is' a modifiedfo'rm of rectifier; Fig. 3 is. a diagram of circuits forming a part. oftherectifier system; and Fig. 4 1s a diagram of a novel arrangement of rectifier system; n

The arcing between the anodesof a rectifier, which it'is one of the purposes'of. my

invention to avoid, may bedue to a number of causes. Thus globules-of mercury may fall back through the usual arc stream in the rectifier and, by being then suddenly vaporized, cause an increase in the vapor pressure and a corresponding sudden increase in the voltage drop in the rectifier. The sudden change thus imposed on the supply systelumay. cause.- a, momentarily existing-high voltage which may be sufli-' cient to cause a. flashor arc between the anodes. Probably, however, the most 4 prolific source of arcing between the anodes is due to globules of condensed mercury coming in contact with the anodes. Thus, for example, dropsof mercury from the condensing chamber may fall against the anode or, inv falling into the cathode, may cause other drops to splash up against the anode. The sudden disturbance thus:

V anode and thus provide the basis for a flash or discharge between the cooperating 'ing ofi from the main envelop 1, and slightly inclined from the horizontal', are two op'powith ridges as shown, for" example; at" 9,

a In connecting, up the rectifier for. 'use'a r anodes.

-. I. have found 'tha-t 'the trouble mentioned J maybe completely overcome by .so arrang-' ing the anodes that they areentirely out of:

the path traversed by mercury globules and by soarranging the condensing chamber 7 that .thereturn'fiow of mercury does-not pass through the normal rectifier arc.

I Numerous 'forms'of rectifiers' may be made I embodying my invention. One form is in? dic'ated in Fig.1. In this; figure'a, highly exhausted envelop of lass or'other suitable containing bodies of mercury indicated at .body of mercury. 3 adjacent thereto serves" as an auxlllary or starting anode. -Branch-- sltely located tubes 4 and 5 o'pe nmg into'thef envelop 1." In these tubes are'located re; spectlvelysuitableanodes 6. and v7 ofarti- ;.All of the electrodes mentioned are provided i in the usual mannerwith leading-in conductors for conveying current, between the electrodes and'th'e external circuits of the recti 'The main bodyof the rectifier, above the cathode 2, conun'uni'cates with the vertical ficial graphiteor; other suitable material.

fier.

condensing chamber [8 "an is slightly inc'lin'ed' so that when drops of mercury fall from the. condensing chamber they roll slowly into the-cathodeQ. In order to de-.

crease still further the velocity of there-j turning mercury, the inclined portion of the material is indicated at .1. At' the lower. 1 portion ofthis envelop'pockets are formed '70 -2 'a nd3; The mercury body 2-constit'utes. the" cathode or negative electrode while. theenvelop maybe corrugated or provided" system of circuitsmay be-employedsuch as shown in-Fig. In this figurethe alter-j nat-ing-curre'nt supply mains are representedat 10 and 11.1 These are connected respecm tively to the anodes Band-7. lThe'starting E anode 3' is connected throughaswitch- 12" and. a current limiting resistance. 13"to either.

15 an'd 16 in series, with each other between:

the mains 10 and 11. In the consumption circuit current-consuming devices of any desired character may be employed as, for example, a storage battery 17.

In starting the rectifier the receptacle is tilted or shaken so that, by means of the momentary flow of mercury between the electrodes 2 and 8, an auxiliary or starting arc is produced which serves to initiate the main arcs between the cathode 2 and the main anodes 6 and 7. A resistance in the consumption circuit may be used for starting and afterward replaced by translating devices. The method of starting the rectifier and its mode of operation are well nnderstood and require no further description. When the rectifier has been started mercury condenses in the chamber 8 and drops back from time to time. By reason of the location of the condensing chamber, the mercury in falling cannot drop through the are between the cathode and the anodes 6 and 7. By thus controlling the falling of the mercury no disturbing effect upon the vapor pressure appears and one of the contributory causes of trouble in the operation of the rectifier is removed.

The anodes 6 and 7, being located in chambers extending off from the main rectifying chamber, are entirely out of the path of mercury returning from the condensing chamber 8. They are also out of the path of any globules which might from any cause he splashed up from the cathode 2. Being so protected, no negative ionization can take place, whereby another prolific cause of arcing between the anodes is removed.

Although practically all of the mercury is condensed in the chamber 8 it may happen from time to time that small globules of mercury will form in the tubes 4 and 5. The condensation in these tubes, however, is very small because of the presence of the heated anodes therein. In order, however, to guard against the very slight possibility of trouble from this source I may surround the anodes by protecting shields as represented at 19 and 20 in Fig. 2. In this figure the rectifier shown is practically the same as that in Fig. 1 except for the presence of the shields l9 and 20 and for the further modification in which the starting anode 21, instead of being located as in Fi 1, is formed in the main tube just below t e condensing chamber 22. The pocket containing the mercury electrode 21, therefore, serves the double purpose of an electrode container and as an intercepting means for preventing the return flow of mercury from reaching the cathode 23 by sudden movement such as would cause disturbance of the surface of the cathode.

Instead of using the system of connections for the rectifier as shown in Fig. 3 I have found that good results may be obtained by through the consumption circuit to the middle or other intermediate point 27 in the wmdlng 24. The starting electrode 21 is connected through a switch 28 and currentlimiting resistance 29 to one of the leads of the winding 24.

In order to provide for the existence of overlapping arcs between the respective anodes and the cathode, as is necessary to the operation of a rectifier of this character,

I connect inductance coils 30 and 31 in the respective leads extending to the anodes 25 and 26. The energy storing and re-storing action of the inductance coils has the effect of maintaining the are or discharge from one anode while the other anode is not in a condition to maintain its are or, in other words, when it is passing over its dead point, so to speak.

. It will be evident to one skilled in the art that numerous variations may be made in the embodiment of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof for which reason I do not wish to be limited to the exact details shown and described.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

l. The combination of a source of alt-ernating current, mains extending therefrom, anodes connected respectively to said mains, inductance coils in series respectively in said mains, and a cathode connected to a circuit extending from a point of intermediate potential in said source.

2. The combination of a winding, mains extending therefrom, anodes connected respectively to said mains, energy storing and restoring devices in circuitrespectively with said mains, and a cathode connected to an intermediate point in said winding.

3. The method of operating vapor electric apparatus having a vaporizable cathode and a plurality of anodes, which consists in returning the products of condensation to the cathode so that they neither traverse the main arc in the apparatus nor come .in contact with either of the anodes.

4. In a vapor rectifier, the combination of an exhausted receptacle, a liquid negative electrode therein, a plurality of anodes therein, an insulating chamber surrounding each anode, each chamber being provided with an opening in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the surface of the negative electrode.

5. The combination of an exhausted receptacle, a cathode, a plurality'of solid electrodes adapted to operate as anodes, and an insulating shield for one at least of said anodes.

6. The combination of an exhausted envelop or receptacle, a vaporizable electrode or cathode, a plurality of solid electrodes adapted to operate as anodes, and means for shielding one at least of said anodes to prevent arcing between them.

7. The combination of an exhausted envelop or receptacle, an electrode adapted to operate as a cathode, a plurality of electrodes adapted to operate as anodes, and a y. glass shield for each of said anodes.

8. In a vapor electric apparatus, the combination of an exhausted receptacle, a liquid negative electrode therein, a plurality of anodes therein, and a shield for each anode for preventing arcing between the anodes. 9. In a system of electrical distribution, a source of single-phase alternating current, a direct current Work circuit supplied therefrom, an interposed vapor converter having a suitable negative electrode and a plurality of positive electrodes, and an inductance introduced into each of the leads of the positive electrodes to maintain the converter in operative condition.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of February, 1904.

OSIAS o. KRUH.

l/Vitnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL,

HELEN Onronn. 

